Andrew Friedman Has Blunt Answer Regarding Dodgers' Top Prospects Blocked From MLB Playing Time

Over the years, the Dodgers have put together one of the best farm systems in the game, while still prioritizing winning in the present.

However, at some point, there comes a time when not all the strong prospects can fit on a team. And when that happens, decisions have to be made.

One of the many reasons that the Dodgers’ decided to not be as active last offseason was to give some of their better prospects some playing time. The front office wanted to see what exactly they had from them and if they truly deserved consistent playing time in the big leagues.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was asked about how all the prospects still within the organization fit — especially some of the bigger ones such as Michael Busch and Miguel Vargas — and was pretty blunt in his response.

“One move we might make opens up something, or closes off another opportunity (for them),” Friedman said. “So it’s fluid. But I think it’s important to either figure out how to make them a part of what we’re doing up here or trade once they’ve gotten to that point of going through the minor leagues and having nothing left to prove.”

Per Andrew Friedman via The Athletic

It's not often you hear Friedman outwardly talk about potentially trading prospects, but at some point, the Dodgers need to find a place for them.

Busch is entering his age-26 season, and got all of 72 at-bats in 2023.

The Dodgers' front office typically has been hesitant to hand out large free agent contracts, especially to pitchers, so with their need for starting pitching help this offseason, a trade makes sense. 

LA has been linked with multiple top names that are likely to be available and they have the prospect capital to make a deal come to fruition.

The Dodgers would love to see all their top prospects become homegrown stars, but at some point, they need to give them an opportunity to succeed at the MLB level.